Changed My Mind is The Depolarization Project’s podcast, hosted by Alex Chesterfield, Laura Osborne and Ali Goldsworthy. We ask guests to tell us a substantive issue they have changed their mind on, why and what they have learned from it. We work with global media outlet Open Democracy to bring this podcast to you.
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Leor Zmigrod on why rigid thinking makes us vulnerable to extremism
Are you as open-minded as you think you are? People who rate themselves as highly adaptable often score as the most rigid during unconscious cognitive testing.
In this episode of Changed My Mind, hosts Alex Chesterfield, Ali Goldsworthy, and Laura Osborne speak with political neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod. Zmigrod discusses her research into the link between cognitive style and political extremism, explaining how rigid thinking predicts dogmatism across the entire political spectrum.
Zmigrod also shares how she changed her own perspective regarding the depth of her research after realizing that rigid ideology does not just shape political attitudes, but fundamentally sculpts a person's nervous system, perception, and everyday humanity.
What you’ll learn:
The Alternative Uses Test: How simple, unconscious creativity games predict whether a person leans toward stubborn ideology or moderate, flexible thinking.
The Extremism Overlap: Why radical leftists and the radical right exhibit strikingly similar psychological profiles rooted in cognitive rigidity and emotional impulsivity.
The Danger of Radical Campaigning: Why using binary, polarising tactics to rally a base damages individuals psychologically.
The Myth of the Strong Leader: How society creates large-scale problems by incorrectly praising leaders who refuse to change their minds.
The Violence Connection: How highly rigid minds fuse rapidly to group identities and are significantly more willing to endorse political violence.
Buy Leor’s book, The Ideological Brain (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781405975148): How Rigid Beliefs Harm Our Minds & Bodies – And Why It Matters https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781405975148 (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781405975148)
Buy Alison, Laura and Alexandra’s new book, Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975 (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975)
Subscribe to openDemocracy’s weekly newsletter (https://www.opendemocracy.net/): https://www.opendemocracy.net/ (https://www.opendemocracy.net/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Jul 2026
Why I Lost Faith in the BBC: Nihal Arthanayake on Diversity and Leadership
After a 23-year career at the BBC, award-winning broadcaster Nihal Arthanayake changed his mind about the institution's capacity for change.
In this episode of Change My Mind, Nihal speaks candidly with hosts Ali Goldsworthy, Laura Osborne, and Alex Chesterfield about his decision to leave public service broadcasting for a new role as Chief Storyteller at a major tech firm. He details the growing frustration and isolation he experienced as a person of colour at BBC North, explaining why he believes the corporation is currently "cosplaying at diversity" rather than enacting meaningful cultural shifts.
The conversation examines the heavy personal toll of speaking out against institutional norms, the differences between genuine corporate accountability and public sector management, and why the political and media landscape relentlessly punishes leaders who actually change their minds.
What we discuss in this episode:
The Illusion of Corporate Accountability: Why Nihal believes the BBC operates on a culture of fear and self-preservation rather than facing the hard truths of profit, loss, and audience data.
Tokenism vs. Inclusion: Nihal’s perspective on how public-facing diversity hires often mask a lack of genuine representation and support for young staff behind the scenes.
The Backlash of Speaking Out: The intense right-wing media criticism and personal threats Nihal faced after publicly criticizing the overwhelmingly white demographic of his workplace.
The Power of Admitting Ignorance: Why treating a political "U-turn" as a weakness destroys intellectual agility, and why the smartest leaders are the ones willing to admit when the facts have changed.
The BBC’s Right of Reply: A breakdown of the BBC's official response to the issues raised, including their commitments to strengthening talent pipelines and reporting mechanisms.
Learn more and get involved:
Book a session during our new Office Hours to discuss how to navigate polarized times in your own organization: opendemocracy.net/depolarizationproject.
Subscribe to openDemocracy’s weekly newsletter: https://www.opendemocracy.net/ (https://www.opendemocracy.net/)
Buy Alison, Laura, and Alexandra’s book, Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975 (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
14 Jul 2026
How to Disagree Better: Julia Minson on Receptiveness and changing her mind on Transitions for minors
Host Alex Chesterfield and co-hosts Ali Goldsworthy and Laura Osborne interview Julia Minson, a researcher on disagreement, about building receptiveness and improving conflict conversations through practice, realistic goals beyond persuasion, and concrete language changes. Minson describes her background in competitive ballroom dancing as a metaphor for opposing perspectives, and outlines the HEAR framework for “conversational receptiveness”: Hedging, Emphasizing agreement, Acknowledging the other view with true paraphrase, and Reframing to the positive. She discusses applying these tools in schools and other real-world settings, and research questions about reputational rewards for receptiveness. Minson also shares a rapid, emotionally complex series of belief updates on gender transitions for minors, influenced by Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s arguments and later by meeting a trans woman, highlighting how minds change through human contact and context.
00:00 Third Rail Belief Shift
00:17 Show Intro and Guests
01:36 Co Hosts Takeaways
03:58 Ballroom Dancing Origins
07:50 Training Receptiveness Habits
10:34 How to Disagree Better
12:57 Start Small Not Hot Topics
15:53 HEAR Framework Language
22:36 Where Research Goes Next
24:47 Campaigning Incentives Tension
27:29 Changing Mind on Transitions
36:03 Environment and People Matter
38:14 Who Should Be Next Guest
38:55 Hosts Reflect and Wrap Up
Buy How To Disagree Better Dr Julia Minson (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781398725041)
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781398725041 (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781398725041)
Buy Alison, Laura and Alexandra’s new book, Poles Apart: Why People Turn Against Each Other, and How to Bring Them Together https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975 (https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8711/9781847942975)
Subscribe to openDemocracy’s weekly newsletter (https://www.opendemocracy.net/): https://www.opendemocracy.net/ (https://www.opendemocracy.net/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
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